In many records, the wife's surname is being missed. For example, Mr and Mrs John Smith, there is no given name to key for his wife but Smith should be keyed for her surname.

In many records, the wife's surname is being missed. For example, Mr and Mrs John Smith, there is no given name to key for his wife but Smith should be keyed for her surname.

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Make sure not to miss the In Memoriam notices - these often appear after a set of Cards of Thanks which are not keyed. --[[User:Katerimmer|Katerimmer]] 13:58, 24 January 2013 (UTC)

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Key locations as seen. For example, if it reads "London, Ont" key it as "London, Ont". Don't key "London" or "London, Ontario."

== &nbsp;Questions and Answers ==

== &nbsp;Questions and Answers ==

Revision as of 14:16, 25 January 2013

Feel free to add to or edit information in this discussion tab as necessary. Please take time to become familiar with the General Keying Standards and be sure to read all instructions on the main project page. (Please note that in case of a discrepancy, project level instructions always trump general keying standards.)

Contents

Extra Keying Helps

Common Keying Errors Found by Reviewers

As stated in the directions, do not calculate birth dates when an age is included in marriage or death records. For example, in a death notice which states in his 75th year or 75 years old, do not key a birth year.

In many records, the wife's surname is being missed. For example, Mr and Mrs John Smith, there is no given name to key for his wife but Smith should be keyed for her surname.

Make sure not to miss the In Memoriam notices - these often appear after a set of Cards of Thanks which are not keyed. --Katerimmer 13:58, 24 January 2013 (UTC)

Key locations as seen. For example, if it reads "London, Ont" key it as "London, Ont". Don't key "London" or "London, Ontario."

Questions and Answers

If you have a keying question that is not answered on the project page or in any of the information above, click “EDIT” and ask it here. (If you click on Rich Editor you won't have to worry about formatting your entry.) Then click “WATCH” at the top right on this page and you will be notified via email when an update has been made.Several questions - if there is an obituary for a woman who is married, it appears to always be listed under her current, married name. Often, her maiden name (or perhaps a previous married name) is also given. Should we use her maiden name as the Surname and her married name (which is her husband's surname) listed under spouse's surname or is her married name used under her surname also and her maiden name isn't used at all? For instance: HORBATLY, KATHERINE - At the home of her son, A.J. Kendall.... Katherine Kendall, beloved wife of Harry Horbatly, in her 57th year.... Do I enter her name under Kendall (which may be from a previous marriage since her son's name is Kendall) or Horbatly? Would the answer be the same if it doesn't appear that her previous name listing is from a previous husband? For instance, CONNOLLY, ANN....Ann Stanley, widow of George Henry Connolly....

A: I believe we are supposed to use her maiden name (or the surname used in the text as opposed to the surname at the beginning of the notice) as the Surname and her married name as spouse's surname and I am sure there was originally a Death notice keying sample image on the Wiki page which showed that this was how it should be keyed, but that particular sample doesn't seem to be there any more, so I can't use it as proof!

However there is this reply from Anna Fechter on the main thread about this project on the message boards which confirms it: Her maiden name should be entered in the main Surname field and her married name would be entered in the Spouse surname field.

Lastly, if the obituary lists a previous spouse, do we ignore this and only list the most recent spouse?

A: Yes, you ignore the previous one and key the most recent one. --Katerimmer 10:41, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

Q: I have a birth announcement for twin daughters, so assume two records. But they survived only a few hours. Do I a) ignore that fact; b) repeat the date in the death column; or c) make two more records headed 'death', as that fact was also given???

A: If it is a Birth notice which includes death details, you would key Notice Type = Birth and fill in both the birth and death dates on the same record. --Katerimmer 10:33, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Suggestions/Additions

If you have a suggestion or would like to make an addition to the project page, click “EDIT” and post your suggestion here. (If you click on Rich Editor you won't have to worry about formatting your entry.) Then click “WATCH” at the top right on this page and you will be notified via email when an update has been made.</span

Suggestion: Be careful to search the entire page. I found both a list of deaths without the death header and a list of deaths with the death header in different parts of the same page. However, don't key vital information from regular articles.

Suggestion: Make yourself a calendar starting with the header date. This comes in so handy when you can't quite make out a date but you know it's two digits starting with a 1 and you know the day of the week. Don't just guess at a date but figure it out.